Defra spends £310 million to keep rubbish out of landfill

Browsing the Defra site this morning, Greenbang came across a press release which revealed Department is consulting on a strategy to protect the health of honey bees.

Greenbang recommends the bees should give up smoking, cut back on the red meat and do a bit more cardiovascular exercise. Although Greenbang guesses all the flying they do probably counts for a bit. And they’re quite outdoorsy types, which Greenbang reckons is probably good too.

Like a gift that just keeps giving, Defra also revealed that it’s spanking £310 million on four projects to keep one million tonnes of rubbish out of landfill.

Here’s what Defra had to say about it:

Each of the four projects will support the local authority’s waste ambitions. All aim to reduce the overall amount of waste created and it is anticipated they all will deliver a minimum of 50% recycling rate by 2020, with some aspiring to reach 60%.

The PFI credits awarded to the four projects are:

* Barnsley, Doncaster and Rotherham Partnership – £77.4 million.
* Bradford Metropolitan District Council – £62.1 million.
* Suffolk County Council – £102 million.
* Leeds City Council – £68.6 million.

Each project will be considering the climate change impacts of its technology choice. They are all actively seeking options for Combined Heat and Power with an Energy from Waste or Mechanical Biological Treatment solution.